Coking retort oven



Nov. 5, l1935. I J. BECKER- 2,019,483

COKING RET-ORT OVEN Filed oct. 25, 1952 7 sheets-sheet 1 HHHM/ HMMHM'HUMM f 1N VENTOR. Jose/ob Becken A TT ORNE Y.

J. BECKER com-NG RETORT OVEN Filed Oct. 25, 1952 N ov. 5, 1935.

7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Jose/Ob Sec/Per'. YK

A TTORNE Y.

Nov. 5, 1935. J. BECKER v 2,019,483

' COKING RETORT OVEN l Filed oct. 25,` 1932 7 sheets-sheet 4 A TTORNE Y.

Nov. S, 1935.`

J. BECKER coKING RETORT ovEN Filed Oct. 25, 1952 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 1N VENTOR. Josgo ec/e/r B M A TTORNE Y.

Nov. 5, 1935. J. BECKER COKING RETORT OVEN Filed Oct.A 25, -1932 7 Sheets-Shget 6 j 1N VENTOR Jag-e706 ecef:

A TTORNE Y.

Nov. 5, 1935. J. BECKER COKING RETORT `OVEN Filed oct; 25, 1952 7 Sheets-sheet 7 IN VENT OR Josejo ec/e'f: BY@ f5 Y I ATTORNEY narra A raiemea Net. s, icas 2,019,483 l como. amroa'r over:

Joseph Becker, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner to Ehe Kappers Company of Delaware, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application October 25, 1932, Serial No. 639,4@

- 22 Claims. (Cl. 7202-142) ati-9,483

This invention relates to improvements in coking retort ovens. It has general applicability and utility in various horizontal coke ovens, and more particularly in ovens of the type, among others,

Among other considerations, it is of conse-` quence in such ovens that the heating effected by the burning of combustion media in the heatinglues shall be distributed with great uniformity over the extended heating-wall faces contiguous to the coal charges in the coking-chambers between such heating-walls, and that regulation of such heating shall be facilitated by a method of distribution of the heating media. that tends automatically to correct and to compensate irregularities due to localized over-heated or under- A heated regions in the heating-walls, and also'that fuel-economy may be promoted by remedying the over-consumption of fuel-gas that may result from localizing of flame in too great intensity in portions of the heating-nues without sufiicientgas, and the flame-heat is made more effective by an extended and uniform distribution of the flame in the llame-nues and at the same time completeness of combustion of thefuel-gas with its minimum air requirement is promoted bylincreased and more uniform distribution of the mixture of fuel gas and air flowing through and burning in the flame-nues. Other considerations will be apparent from the description and claims hereinafter setting forth the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part Y of this specification and showing for purposes of exemplication certain preferred forms and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limiting the claimed invention specifically to such illustrative instance or instances:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a coking 5 retort oven or oven-battery of the before-mentioned Becker type of cross-over ovens, the sections being taken crosswise of the battery on `the lines D-D and E-E of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a composite vertical sectional view, lo lengthwise of the coking retort oven or ovenbattery, taken on lines A-A and B-B of Fig. i;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on lines III- III of Fig. 2, and showing particularly the gas and air and waste gas ports in i5 the bases of the heating-fines and the communications leading to such ports, in their relation to theheating-walls and intervening ccking chambers;

a coking retort oven or oven-battery of a known 30 type other than the cross-overl type and having each heating-wall constituted of inverted U- shaped or hairpin-filles, the sections being taken crosswise of the battery on the lines F`F and G-G of Fig. 7; 35 Fig. 7 is a. composite ,vertical sectional view,

klengthwise of the battery of Fig. 6, and taken on the lines H-H of Fig. 6 and S-S of Fig.'8;

Fig 8 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on lines VIII-V111 of Fig. 7 and show- 40 ing particularly the gas and air and waste gas ports in the bases of the heating flues, and the communications leading .to such ports, in their relation to heating-walls and intervening coking-chambers; and

Fig. 9 is a merely conventional flow diagram to indicate the general course of the ilow of gas and air and waste gas in and through the regenerators and heating-nues and their communications in the oven-battery illustrated in the above Figs. 6, '7 and 8.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts in the several views of the drawings.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. l, 2, 3,

4 and 5, the more pertinent features are as follows:

The coking retort,oven or oven-battery cornprises a series of horizontal coking-chambers I0 and intermediate heating-walls I2 therefor and side-by-side therewith, and series of side-by-side cross-regenerators I3, I4 below and paralleling the series of cokng-chambers and heating-walls, together with the communications between said heating-walls and regenerators and the further gas conduits and supporting walls and other structures shown. The heating-walls comprise vertical heating-fines I5 disposed in sets, one set in each heating-wall, the sets in pairstof mutually adjacent heating-walls being mutually connected by cross-over conduits I6 through which the hot combustion-products or waste-heat gases from the up-ow or burning set of heating-fiues in one heating-wall flow over to the down-flow set of heating-fines in the other heating-wall of the pair, the flow being reversed and the up-flow set becoming the down-flow set and vice versa upon the reversal of the 'regenerative system. The lower ends of the cross-over conduits I6 port into horizontal passages I1 that communicably join the top ports I3 of the heating-nues in the heating-walls. The set of heating-fiues in each heating-wall, all of which ilow in one direction, either upward or downward, at-any one time, are disposed in groups of three or four heating-flues each, the several heating-fines in 'each group being separated from each other by vertical partitions I9 transverse of the heating-wall, the partitions within each group stopping somewhat short of the top of the heating-wall to provide the above-mentioned communicating passages I1 while the like transverse partitions 20 are partially lextended all the' way up to the top of the heating-wall but provided with ports 2| that communioably connect ,the horizontal space above the heating-flues of adjacent groups and render the horizontal passages I14 substantially continuous throughout the length of the top portion of the heating-wall. The flow from or to the heatingues in each group traverses mainly the crossover conduit I6 that is above the middle partition I9 in such group, and the top of said middle partition is flared, at 22, beneath the adjacent port of the cross-over conduit, to promote equality of ow to or from the middle heating-nues of the group and to or from those heating-dues of the same group that are farther from said crossover conduit; and the above-mentioned ports 2| in the transverse partitions that are between the groups, serve to vequalize any inequalities of flow or pressure that may occur as between the tops of adjacent groups in the set of heating-flues that is comprised in the entire heating-wall. In the said set of heating-nues, comprised in the heating-wall, there are about seven of the adjacent groups and `a corresponding number of cross-over conduits I6 respectively serving said groups and the corresponding groups in the set of heating-nues comprised in the adjacent heatingwall of the pair. The tops of the heating-fines of each heating-wall are accessible through the usual inspection holes 23 extending to the top of the oven or battery.

The horizontal coking-chambers I0, intermediate the heating-walls, are of greater height than the heating-walls and have their opposite ends closed as usually by removable doors 24, the door Y on the pusher-side end of the chamber being as usually constructed with an opening 25 through which the leveler bar of the pusher machine may be entered to level off and determine the height of the top of the coal charge 26, which is commonly somewhat higher than the tops of the aforesaid heating-nues, so that, upon shrinkage of the coal in coking, the top of the coked charge will still be a little above the tops of the heatingflues and thereby insure a relatively cool cokecharge top immediately below the gas-collecting crown space 21 of the coking-chamber, thereby protecting from decomposition the distillation w gases that collect in such crown space and flow oi from the coking-chamber through the ascension pipes 54 that communicably connect the ends of the coking-chamber with the gas-collecting mains II mounted along the pusherside and 15 coke-side respectively of the battery.

The aforesaid cross-regenerators, below and paralleling the series of coking-chambers and heating-walls, are disposed in groups of three, each group having a large middle gas-regenerator 20 I3 'anked by two smaller air-regenerators I4, I4. The gas-regenerators I3 are adapted for preheating poor or weak gas, such as producer gas or blast furnace gas, but are also adapted for preheating air when the ovens are being fired 25 with stro-ng gas, such as their own distillation gases which do not require regenerative preheating. The air-regenerators I4 are adapted for preheating air and in each group they iiank the middle gas-regenerator I3 which is thereby 3o isolated from the regenerators of adjacent groups that are simultaneously operating for downow or outiiow of waste gases, such isolating of the gas-regenerators serving to eliminate possibilities of leakage of gas into the countercurrent flow 35 of waste gases under lower pressure in said adjacent regenerator groups. At any given time, alternate groups of regenerators operate for upflow of gas and air and the intermediate groups for downflow of waste gases, these relations being 40 reversed at each period of reversal of the regenerative system (as set forth in, for instance, my Patent No. 1,678,802 which shows similar triple groups of regenerators). Each gas-regenerator I3 at its top communicates through two ducts 21, 45 21 with heating-nues in heating-walls that are `on respectively opposite sides of the coking chamother by the oven supporting pillar-walls 29 that 60 i are respectively located directly below those ooking-chambers which are Within the paired heating-walls that are connected by the cross-over conduits I6 as above mentioned. In each triple group the gas and air regenerators are separated 65 from each other by the oven supporting pillarwalls 30 that are respectively located substantially below the two heating-walls that are fed by and receive waste gas from the regenerators of said group. These pillar-walls 30 within each 70 regenerator group are of somewhat lighter structure than the pillar-walls 29 between the adjacent groups of regenerators.

The above-described regenerators are in two series lengthwise of the battery. one series for the pusher-side half of the battery and the other series for the coke-side half of the battery, the cross-regenerators of the one series abutting end for end, along the lengthwise middle of the battery, with the corresponding cross-regenerators of the other series and being separated there the regenerator under its checkerbrick, and each' air-regenerator has a sole-channel 35 extending lengthwise of it under its checkerbrick. All of the sole-channels are provided in their outer ends with air-boxes 36, all of which are provided with air inlet valves 31 and also communicate through connections 38 with the adjacent waste gas tunnel 39, one such tunnel extending along the outside of the sub-structures on either side of the battery. 'I'he air-boxes provided for the gas-regenerators are also in valved communication, through connections 4U, with the respective gas-mains 32, 33, that supply gas for the gas-regenerators; and the air inlet valves for these vair-boxes are at all times kept closed when the battery is being red with gas from said gas-mains that feed the gasregenerators. The usual reversal mechanisms are -provided for operating the valves of the air and gas and waste gas connections just above mentioned, which control the inow and outow to and from the regenerators of the battery. When the battery is being iired with strong gas, such as its own gases of distillation, which does not require regenerative preheating but has a large air requirement, all of the connections 40 to the gas-mains 32, 33 are kept closed, and all of the air-boxes are employed for supplying air to and withdrawing Waste gases from all of the regenerators of the battery, thus providing an increased supply` of regeneratively preheated airby utilizing for air not only the air-regenerators l| 4 but also the gas-regenerators I3 that would otherwise be employed for preheating extraneously derived Weak or poor gas, such as producer gas or blast furnace gas.

For alternatively ring the battery with rich gas, such as its own gases of distillation, the base of each heating-nue is provided with a gas-conduit 4| that extends directly downward to and through the foundation-mat 42 that supports the regenerators, each such conduit being provided at its lower exposed end with an individual hand- Valve 43 that is accessible below the battery and by which the gas flow for the conduit may be individually regulated by the operator. Further individual pipe-connections 44 connect each conduit with a branch-header 45 that is in turn connected by a pipe 46 with a gas-main 41 that supplies gas to the battery lfrom some reservoirsource in which the gases of distillation of the same battery, or of like batteries in the same plant, are collected and stored. There are two such gas-mains 41 extending longitudinally under the battery, one under its pusher-side half and one under its coke-side half; and there is a branch-header 45 for each such half of each heating-wall in the battery.` The automatic reversingmechanism of the battery is -connected with the lever-arms 48. of the valves 49 in the pipe connection 46 between each branch-header pipe 45 and its corresponding gas-main 41. And during alternate reversal periods the supply to alternate pairs 50 of these branch headers are 5 respectively opened and shut. The gas-conduits 4|,l individual to the heating-nues, are placed inside the supporting walls 30 that are within the respective regenerator groups before described, and in each instance feed gas to the same heating-walls that are fed by the same regenerator group, so-that whenever gas is iiowing upward through a gas-conduit 4| there is no countercurrent ow in the regenerators on either side of the wall in which that conduit is placed, but the ow through the regenerators on both lsides of such wall is then in the same direction, that is, toward the heating flues, as the .flow in the conduit itself, and so pressure differences are minimized on either side of such conduit and there is a corresponding minimizing of the possibility of leakage between the gas-conduit and the contiguous regenerators that are simultaneously iired with up-flowing air. When the same regenerator group is operated for waste gas outflow, the gas conduits 4| in the walls 3G within such group have already been shut oi bythe reversing mechanism' and there is no gas ilow through them that can be affected by any possibility of leakage through the walls that incase the gas conduits.

The checkerwork in the regenerators is subdivided by vertical transverse curtain-walls 52 to promote equality of distribution of ow.

Cross-underducts 5| disposed transversely un- 35 der the coking-chambers connect with each other at, their lower parts the sets of heating-fines that in alternation and in mutual communication serve for up-ow and down-flow. Each ysuchcross-under duct 5| communicably connects the o base of ka heating-flue in one heating-wall with the base of a corresponding heating-flue in the heating-wall on the opposite side of an intervening cokin-g-chamber. The pair of heating-walls whose heating-nues are in this manner communicably connected by cross-under ducts 5| are in each, instance a pair of heating-walls that have the before-described sets of heatingflues respectively disposed on opposite sides of the intervening coking-chamber and connected with each other by cross-over conduits I6 spanning such coking-chamber, so that the set of heating-nues in one heatingwall of the pair operates for up-flow of burning gases while the set in the opposite heating-Wall operates for clown-flow of the combustion-products that are led over to it by the intervening cross-over conduits I6. These down-flowing combustion products are.in -large part led oir through `the` waste gas regeneratOrs then in communication with such down-flowing-set of heating-nues. But a considerable portion of the combustion products down-owing through each 'such heating-flue will be both impelled and drawn through the cross-under ductx5| from the base of such heating-flue back into the corresponding up-burning heating-flue on the opposite side of the intervening coking-chamber, andthere will intermix with the up-flow combustion media and the newly formed combustion products in such up-burning flue and will traverse such flue and pass on over again, through the cross-over conduits I6, into the down-flowing heating-nues, completing a cyclical recirculation through the communicably connected heating-nues on both sides of the in--75 tervening coking-chamber. This latter recirculation of the hot waste gases into and through the burning heating-fines has the effect of constantly and uniformly supplying the burning ues with a neutral gaseous diluent that intermixes with the combustion media and tends to extend the flame and flame-heat uniformly throughout the height of the vertical iiues that are being red. Such heat distribution is of value and importance in any case but especially when the cokng-chambers and their necessary heating-nues are of considerable height; and there is and for some time has been an increasing practice of building to much greater height than formerly the cokingl5 chambers of horizontal coke ovens as well as of vertical coke ovens. The provision of these crossunder ducts for return recirculation of the hot waste gases accomplishes in a simple and effective manner a great uniformity of heat distribution throughout the flame-nues of greatest height that are employed in the high ovens built under modern practice. i

The outflow of combustion products from the bases of down-flowing heating-nues into the of the ports in the bases of the heating-flues, will' control the relative amount of the considerable portion of the down-flow waste gases that are impelled and drawn out of the down-flow heat- 40/ing-flues into and through the cross-under ducts 5I and thence returned to the up-burning flamei nues. A certain definite proportion will constantly thus be returned, and the diluent effect in the flame-fiues will be maintained as con- 45 stantly uniform as are the draft regulation and fuel-gas supply of the heating-nues of the battery. There is, as` it were, an automatic balance between the draft regulation and fuel-gas supply on the one hand and the waste gas return circulation on the other hand. And there is no heat loss and no irregularity of` supply such as may be incident to the supplying of neutral gaseous diluent from some extraneous source. Also the iiow o-f the return gases directly downward out of the base of the down-flow heating-flue in to the cross-under duct, and the discharge of such gases directly upward from the other end of said duct into the base of the corresponding up-flow heating-flue, are conditions that minimize the possibilities of developing vortices and other irregularities of flow when waste gases are returned into an up-burning iiue through apertures laterally opening into it from a contiguous down-flow flue into which the up-flow flue is directly discharging its combustion products.

As before said, another one of the various possible embodiments of the invention is .exemplied by the form and operation of the oven illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9, and in the form shown in said Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 the main pertinent features are as follows:-

The coking retort oven or oven battery comprises a series of horizontal coking-chambers 60 and intermediate heating-walls 62 therefor and 5 side-by-side therewith. and a series of side-byside cross-regenerators 63, 64 below and paralleling the series of coking-chambers and heatingwalls, together with the communications between said heating-walls and regenerators and the fur-l ther gas conduits and supporting walls and other 5 structures shown. The heating walls comprise vertical heating-fines` 65, 66 disposed in sets, the heating-flues 65 of one set being disposed al ternately with the heating-nues 66 of the other set in each heating Wall 62, and the contiguous 10 heating-flues 65, 66 being mutually connected by the passage 6.1 at their tops to form hairpin-nues for up-flow and down-flow of burning gases and combustion-products, the hot combustion-products or waste heat gases from each heating-flue, 15 for instance 65, in the up-iiow or burning set of heating-flues flowing over into the respectively contiguous heating-nue, for instance 66, in the down-flow set of heating-nues in the same heating-wall 62, the flo-w being reversed and the up- 20 ow set becoming the down-flow set and vice versa upon the reversal of the regenerative system. In adjacent heating-walls, however, on opposite sides of each coking chamber, the heating-lues, for instance 65, in one heating wall 25 that are at any time operating for up-ow are disposed opposite to the heating-nues, for instance 66, in the opposite heating-wall that are at any time operating for down-ow, so that in alternate heating-walls 62 of the battery the 30 up-flow and down-ow sets of heating-nues are reversely disposed in respect of each other. For example, in the longitudinal battery section shown in Fig. '1 and exposing four heatng-walls with their three intermediate coking-chambers, 35 it will be observed that the up-iiw flues in the first and third heating-walls are opposite the down-flow flues in the second and fourth heating-walls intersected by such sectional view taken transversely of the coking-chambers and 40 the heating-walls ony their opposite sides; and the same relation Will be apparent from the conventional ow diagram in Fig. 9. The tops of the heating-nues of each heating-wall are accessible through the usual inspection holes 13. i5V

is commonly somwhat higher than the tops of 55 the aforesaid heating-nues, so that, upon shrinkage of the coal in coking, the top of the coked charge will still be a little above the top of the heating-fluesand thereby insure a relatively 'cool coke-charge top immediately below the gas 60 collecting crown space H13 of the coking-chamber, thereby protecting from decomposition the distillation gases that collect in such crown space and flow off from the coking-chamber through the ascension pipes 104 that communicably con- 65 nect the ends of the coking-chamber with the gas collecting mains mounted as commonly along the pusher-side and coke-side respectively of the battery. Y l

The aforesaid cross-regenerators, below and 70 paralleling the series of coking-hambers and heating-walls, are disposed in groups of three, each group Ahaving a large middle gas-generator 63 flanked by two smaller air-regenerators 64, 64. The gas-regenerators 63 are adapted for preheat- 75 ing poor or weak gas, such as producer gas or blast furnace gas, but are also adapted for preheating air when the ovens are being fired with strong gas, such as their own distillation gases which do not require regenerative preheating. 'I'he air-regenerators 64 are adapted for preheating air and in each group they ank the middle gas-regenerator 63 which is thereby isolated from the regenerators of the aforesaid groups that'are simultaneously operating for down-now or outow of waste gases, such isolating of the gas regenerators serving to eliminate possibilities o f leakage of gas into the countercurrent flow -of waste gases under lower pressure in said adjacent regenerator groups. At any given time, alternate groups of regenerators operate for up-ow of gas and air and the intermediate groups for downow of waste gases, these relations being reversed at each period of reversal of the regenerative system (as set forth, for instance, in my Patent 1,678,802 which shows similar triple groups of regenerators). Each gas-regenerator 63 at its top communicates through two ducts 11, 11 with heating-nues in heating-walls that are on respectively opposite sides of the coking-chamber that is directly above such gas-regenerator; and the two air-regenerators 64 that ilank said gasregenerator each communicate respectively, through ducts 18, with the heating iiues in one of said two heating-walls that are both in communication with said gas-regenerator. The setsA of heating-nues, for instance 65, in such two heating-walls, operate simultaneously in the same direction 'in respect of each other, for instance, for

up-ow, while the intermediate sets of heating flues, for instance 66, in such two heating walls, operate simultaneously for down-iiow and are respectively connected by similar ducts with the respectively adjacent regenerators of the downflow regenerator groups that are located on either side of the regenerator group that is then as aforesaid feeding the up-ow heating-nues in the same pair of heating-walls. I'he groups of regenerators are separated from each other by the oven supporting pillar-walls 19 that are respectively located below the heating-walls served by the adjacent regenerators of the groups on either side of such pillar-walls. In each triple group of regenerators the gas and air regenerators are separated from each other by partitionwalls 89 which are of lighter structure than the pillar-walls 19 between the adjacent groups of regenerators.

The above-described regenerators are in two series lengthwise of the battery, one series for the pusher-side half of the battery and the other series for the coke-side half of the battery, the cross-regenerators of the one series abutting end for end, along the lengthwise middle of the battery, with the corresponding cross-regenerators of the other series and being separated therefrom by the median longitudinal partition wall 8| that extends longitudinally along the middle of the battery transversely under the middle of` the series of ,coking-chambers and heating-walls comprised in the superstructure above the regenerators. The gas-regenerators in the pusher-side series and coke-side series respectively are fed with gas from gas-mains that extend along. the pusher-side and coke-side respectively of the battery (after the manner of the other oven that is shown in Fig. 1). Each gas-regenerator has a wide sole-channel 84 extending lengthwise of the regenerator under its checkerbrick, and each air-regenerator has a narrower sole-channel 85 extending lengthwise of it under its checkerbrick.

to equalize flow. .f l0 For alternatively ring the battery with rich l gas, such as its own gases of distillation, the base of each heating-flue is provided with a gas-conduit 9| that extends directly downward to and through the foundation-mat 92 that supports the 15 regenerators. All such conduits are provided at their lower exposed ends with the connections and valves and reversing mechanism and richgas mains already described in-respect of the other oven that is shown in Figs..1 and 2, except that 2o for each of the halves, the pusher-side half and the coke-side half of each heating-wall in the oven of Figs. 6 to 9, the gas-conduits 9J are provided with two branch-headers that are respectivelyconnected with alternate conduits 9|, the 25 one branch header being connected with the odd numbered and the other with the even numbered of such gas conduits, counting them in succession along the heating-wall from either side to the longitudinal middle of the battery. Such 9 two branch-headers and their connections with the gas-mains for the rich gas are operated in alternation, during the alternate periods of reversal of the battery, and respectively serve alternate heating-nues along the heating-walls, the 95 one header serving the odd numbered heatingnues and the other header serving the even numbered heating-nues, counting from the outside to the longitudinal middle of the battery, so as to effect the up-flow and down-now vconditions and 4,0

relations already described in respect of the hairpin-nues formed by the two sets of heating-nues in each heating-wall. l,

The gas-conduits 9|, individual tothe heatingflues, are placed in the oven supportingfplllar- 45 walls 19 that are of a heavy constructiontending to minimize possibilities of leakage between such gas-conduits and the regenerators on either side of each such pillar-wall 19.

Cross-under ducts lill disposed transversely under the coking-chambers connect with each other at their lower parts the sets of heatingues that in alternation and in mutual communication serve for up-iiow and down-flow. Each such cross-under duct I0! communicably con- 55 nects the base of a heating-flue, for instance 66, in one heating-wall with'the base of a corresponding heating-nue, for instance 65, in the heating-wall on the opposite side of van intervening cokingchamber 60. In`this manner the bottom of each 60- of the heating-nues in a heating-wall that are at any time serving for down-flow is communicably, connected, by such cross-under ducts il, with the bottom of a corresponding one of the heatingfiues in an adjacent heating-wall, on the oppo- 65 site side of an intervening eoking-chamber, that are at the same time serving for up-flow, thus connecting the lsets of heating-nues in one heating-wall that are operating for up-flow of burning gases /with the set in the opposite heating-wall 79 through the waste gas regenerators then in com -i u munication with such down-ow set of heatingilues. But a considerable portion of the combustion products down-flowing through such heating-flue is both impelled and drawn through the cross-under duct IDI from the base of such heating-nue over into the corresponding up-burning heating-flue on the opposite side of the intervening coking-chamber, and` there will intermix with the up-ilow combustion media and the newly formed combustion products in such up-burning flue and will traverse such ue and pass on over to and down the contiguous down-ow flue. And then from the bottom of that down-flow flue a large part of the mixed combustion products will be led oi through the waste gas regenerators then in communication with such down-ow heating-flue, but a considerable portion of such combustion products will be both impelled and drawn through the cross-under duct IUI from the base of that down-flow ilue back into the corresponding up-burning heating-flue on the opposite side of the intervening coking-chamber and will there intermix with the up-ow combustion media and the newly formed combustion products in such up-burning flue and will traverse such flue and pass over and down into the contiguous downiiow fue from which the circulationjust mentioned first started. This will complete a cyclical recirculation through the communicably connected heating-nues on both sides of the intervening coking-chamber. The eiects and advantages of and ways of controlling such recirculation are substantially those that have already been described in respect of the like recirculation ef- `fected by the cross-under ducts 5I in the other oven that is illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, and so the manner and purposes of such recirculation need not be discussed further here.

The invention as hereinbefore set forth or. exemplied, by said illustrative instances, may be variously embodied or practiced within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I claim:-

l. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a series of alternate coking chambers and intermediate heating walls therefor arranged side-by-side in a row, each' of said heating walls comprising vertical heating flues, the heating flues of said heating walls being mutually communicably connected so as to provide two sets of flues that are communicably connected together and operable for concurrent upflow of burning gases in one of the sets and downow of combustion products therefrom in alternation with each other, 'with ues of one set in some of the heating walls and flues of the other set in others of the heating walls operable concurrently with each other, regenerators communicating with said sets of heating-nues and adapted toserve in alternation for supplying preheated combustion-medium to and withdrawing combustion-products from said two sets respectively, and 'cross-under ducts disposed longitudinally of said row and under the coking-chambers and connecting the flues of one set with the flues of the other set of the sets of heating flues that are adapted to serve in alternation and are mutually communicably connected to serve for upflow ,and for downflow, said ducts connecting the flues at their lower parts and being adapted to withdraw portions of the down-owing4 combustion-products from each of the sets of heatingflues when operable for downflow of combustion products and discharge such combustion-products into the other set of heating-fines that is then concurrently operable for burning up-flowing gases, and thereby act to dilute and extend the combustion in the then burning heating-fines.

2.In a coking retort oven, in combination: a

series of alternate coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-by- 5 heated combustion-medium to and withdrawing combustion-products from said two sets respectively; and cross-under ducts disposed longitudinally of said row and-under the coking-chambers and connecting the sets of heating-fines that in alternation and in mutual communication serve for upow and for downflow, said ducts connecting the flues at their lower parts and being adapted to withdraw portions of downflowing combustion-products from the one set of heating-flues and discharge such combustion-products into the other set of heating-fines, and thereby act to dilute and extend combustion in the other set of 30 heating-fines.

3. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a series of alternate coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, said heating-walls each comprising 35 a row of vertical heating-nues in which contiguous heating-fines are mutually connected at their tops to form hairpin-nues and so as to provide in the heating Walls two sets of heating-ues that are communicably connected together and oper- 40 able in alternation with each other for concurrent upflow of burning gases in one of the sets and downlow of combustion gases therefrom with the heating-flues of one set alternating in position with-the heating-nues of the other set in each 45 heating-wall; regenerators communicating with said sets of heating-fines and adapted to serve in alternation for supplying preheated combustionmedium to and withdrawing combustion-products r from said two sets respectively; and cross-under ducts disposed longitudinally of said row and under the coking-chambers and connecting the two sets of heating-flues, said ducts connecting the iiues at their lower parts and being adapted to withdraw portions of downflowing combustion-products from the heating ilues of one set of each heatingwall and discharge such combustion-products into the heating-flues of the other set in another heating-wall, and thereby act to dilute and extend combustion in the other set of heating-fines. 4. In a coking retort oven; the combination as claimed in claim 1 and in which the regenerators are cross-regenerators below the series of cokingchambers and heating-walls. 5. In -a coking retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 2 and in which the regenerators are cross-regenerators below the series of cokingchambers and heating-walls. 6. In a coking retort oven, the combination as 7 claimed in claim 3 and in which the regenerators are cross-regenerators below the series of cokingchambers and heating-walls.

7. In a coking retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 1 and having conduits for sup- 75 plying strong gas to the heating-dues independently of the regenerators. c

8. In a. coking retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 2 and having conduits for supplying strong .gasl tc the heating-fines independently of the regenerators.

9. In a coking retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 3 and having conduits for supplying strong gas to the heating ues independently of the regenerators.

10. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a series of alternate coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, each of said heating-walls comprising vertical heating-iiues, the heating-dues of said heating-walls being mutually communicably connected so as to provide two sets of ues operable for concurrent upflow of burning gases in one of the sets and downflow of combustion-products therefrom in alternation with each other, with ues of one set in some of the heating-walls and ues of the other set in others of the heatingwalls operable concurrently with each other; cross-regenerators below the series of cokingchambers and heating-walls and communicating with said sets of heating-fines and adapted to serve in alternation for supplying preheated combustion-medium to and withdrawing combustionproducts from said two sets respectively, the re- I generators being disposed in side-by-side groups adapted in alternation to preheat'ah; and gas for combustion and to recover waste heat from the OIT-flowing combustion-products, the regenerators for inflow of fuel gas being isolated from regenerators for concurrent outow of waste vgas by intervening regenerators for simultaneous in ilow yof air; and cross-under ducts disposed longitudinally of said row under the coking-chambers and connecting the ues of one set with the ues of the other set of the two sets of yheating-lines, said ducts connecting the ues at their lower parts and being adapted to withdraw portions of the downflowing combustion-products from each of the sets of heating-dues when operable for downow oi' combustion-products and discharge such combustion-products into the other set of heating-fines that is then concurrently operable for burning upowing gases, and thereby act to dilute and extend the combustion in the then burning heating-nues.

11. In a coking retort oven, thecombination as claimed in claim 10 and having the groups of regenerators each comprised of-a pair of air-regenerators anking an intermediate gas-regenerator that communicates with two sets of heating-nues, said sets respectively communicating with said air-regenerators.

12. VIna coking retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 2 and having the regenerators disposed in groups adapted in alternation to preheat air and gas for combustion and to-recover waste heat from the off-ilowing combustion-products, the gas-regenerators being isolated from the waste-gas regenerators by intervening air-regenerators during each period of the intermittently reversed flow, the groups of regenerators each comprising a pair of air-regenerators anking an intermediate gas-regenerator that communicates with two sets of heating-nues, said sets respectively communicating with said air-regenerators.

13. In a coking retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 3 and having the regenerators disposed in groups adapted in alternation to preheat air and gas for combustion and to recover waste heat from the ofE-owing combustion-products, the gas regenerators being isolated from the waste-gas regenerators by intervening air-regenerators during each period of the intermittently reversed iiow, the groups of regenerators each comprising a. pair of air-regenerators anking an intermediate gas-regenerator that communicates with two sets of heating-nues, Asaid sets respectively communicating with said air-regenerators.

14. In a coking retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 10 and having conduits for supplying strong gas to the heating-fines independently of the regenerators.

15. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a series of alternate coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, each of said heating-walls comprising vertical heating-fines, the heating-flues in L each of the heating-walls being communicably connected with heating-ilues in another of the heating-walls by cross-over conduits spanning the coking-chambers therebetween so as to provide two sets of heating-nues operable for concur- `rent upflow of burning gases in one of the sets and downflow of combustion-products therefrom in alternation with each other; cross-regenerators below the series of coking-chambers and heatingwalls and communicating with said sets of heating-flues and adapted to serve in alternation for supplying preheated combustion-mediumto and withdrawing combustion-products from said two sets respectively, the regenerators being disposed in side-by-side groups adapted in alternation to preheat air and gas for combustion and to recover waste heat from the oli-flowing combustion-products, the regenerators for inflow of gas being isolated from regenerators for concurrent outflow of waste gas by intervening regenerators for simultaneous inflow of air; conduits for supplying strong gas to the heating-fines independently of the regenerators; and cross-under ducts disposed longitudinally of said row under the cokingchambers and connecting the two sets of heatingfiues, said ducts connecting the flues at their lower parts and being yadapted to withdraw portions of downflowing combimtion-,products from the one set of heating-fines and discharge such combustion-products into the other set of heating-ues, and thereby act to dilute and extend combustion in the other set of heating-lines,

'16. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a

mediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, said heating-walls each comprising a row of vertical heating-nues in which contiguous heating-nues are mutually connected at their tops to form hairpin-nues and so as to provide in the heating-walls two sets of flues operable in alternation with each other for concurrent upilow combustion in one of the sets and downow of combustion gases therefrom with the heatingseries of alternate coking-chambers and interilues of one set alternating in position with the heating-nues of the other set in each wall; crossregenerators below the series of coking-chambers and heating-walls and communicating with said sets of heating-nues and adapted to serve in alternation for supplying preheating combustion-medium to and withdrawing combuStich-products generators for simultaneous inflow of air, conduits 75:

for supplying strong gas to the heating-nues independently of the regenerators; and cross-under ducts disposed longitudinally of said row under the coking-chambers and connecting the sets of heating-nues, said ducts connecting the flues at their lower parts and being adapted to withdraw portions of downowing combustion-products from the heating-nues of one set of each heatingwall and discharge such combustion-products into the heating-dues of the other set in another heating-wall, and thereby act to dilute and extend combustion in the other set of heating-nues.

17. In a coking retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 15 and having the conduits for strong gas leading downward to gas-mains underneath the oven, such conduits being placed in supporting walls that are immediately between regenerators adapted to operate for up-ow concurrently withy gas up-ilowv through said conduits.

18. In a `coling retort oven, the combination as claimed in claim 16 and having the conduits for strong gas leading downward to gas-mains under-- neath the oven, such conduits being placed in supporting walls that separate the groups of regenerators.

19. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a

series o f alternate coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, each of said heating-walls comprising vertical heating-nues, the heating-nues of said heating-walls being mutually communicably connected so as to provide two sets of ues that are communicably connected together and operable for concurrent in-flow of burning gases in one of the sets and oli-flow of combustion. products therefrom in alternation with each other, with vfluesof one set in some of the heating-walls and being adapted to withdraw portions of the olf-v flowing combustion-products from each of the sets of heating-nues when operable for off-flow of combustion-products and discharge such combustion-products into the other set of heatingflues that is then concurrently operable for burn-v ing in-owing gases, and thereby act to dilute and extend the combustion in the then burning heating-fines.

20. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a series of alternate coking-chambers and intermediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, each of said heating-walls comprising vertical combustion-nues, the ame-ues lbeing communicably connected together at their upper parts into pairs of groups for upilow combustion in one member of the pair or group and downow of combustion-products therefrom in the other member of the pair or group in alternation, each member ofy each pair lying on the opposite side of a coking-chamberfrom the other member of the same pair, regenerators communicating with the combustion-nues atX the lower parts thereof, and cross-under ducts communicably connecting the lower parts of 'flues of each group of a pair of groups with the lower parts 5 cross-under ducts and concurrently operable for upflow combustion and thereby act to dilute and extend the combustion in the lues when operable for upflow combustion.

21. In a coking retort oven, in combination: a series of alternate coking-chambers and lntermediate heating-walls therefor arranged side-byside in a row, each of said heating-walls comprising vertical combustion-nues, the ame-fiues being communicably connected together at their upper parts into pairs of groups for upflow combustion in one member of the pair or group and downflow of combustion-products therefrom in the other member of the pair or group in alternation, each member of each pair lying on the oppositeside of a coking-chamber from the other member of the same pair, regenerators communicating with the combustion-nues at the lower parts thereof, and cross-under ducts communicably connecting the lower parts of ues of each group of a pair of groups with the lower parts of 35 the flues of a group operable for concurrent gas flow in reverse direction, said cross-under ducts crossing under coking-chambers intervening the groups connected by the cross-under ducts and said cross-under ducts being adapted to withdraw portions of the products of combustion from some of .the groups of iiues when operable for upow combustion and discharge such combustion products into the flues of the other groups connected therewith by the cross-under ducts and concurrently operable for upflow combustion and thereby act to dilute and extend the combustion in the iiues when operable for upow combustion.

22. In a coking retort oven, a coking-chamber, combustion heating means therefor comprising vertical combustion ues operable in alternation for upflow of combustion of gas and air and downow of off-now waste gas, the combustion flues being operatively disposed in groups with communicable connections at their upper and lower ends in such manner that part of the flues of each group are operable fo'r uplow combustion while the remaining flues of the same groups are operable to receive and ilow the waste gas there-` of downwardly, and part of the waste gas may 60 pass through the-lower communicable connections of a group from the flues operable for downow into the ues of the groups operable for upow while the remaining part of the waste gas is exhausted from thegroups, said lower com` 65 municable connections comprising ducts in the bottoms of the vertical flues and opening into the vertical flues in a substantially vertical direction.

JOSEPH BECKER. 

